As the number of older adults increases, it is important to understand how attitudes toward aging influence society, the aging process, and the counseling profession. Ageism--defined as social stigma associated with old age or older people--has deleterious effects on older adults' physical health, psychological well-being, and self-perception. In…

With the rapid aging of the population, strategies that can be incorporated into the curriculum are needed, including social work and medicine. Over the past 20 years, pedagogical strategies to improve attitudes toward older adults and gerontological practice along with knowledge about aging have been tested. Instructors are seeking methods that…

The number of U.S. citizens ages 65 years and older is steadily increasing, and members of this cohort are redefining what it means to be an older adult. As members of the Baby Boom generation reach older adulthood, many of them are seeking educational opportunities to help them to meet their needs and desires as lifelong learners. Several factors…

According to Terror Management Theory as applied to ageism, older adults may be associated with mortality, thereby generating death-thought accessibility, stereotypes, and mixed emotions among younger adults. However, it is unclear how older adults' health conditions, such as dementia, affect ageist attitudes and mortality salience. In the current…

Much of the literature on teaching gerontology derives from experiences in face-to-face settings. There is limited discussion of either the applicability of teaching techniques drawn from the traditional setting to the online environment or the development of novel strategies to engage distance students of aging. We developed and assessed an…

An interview with an elderly person now living in Miami provides valuable insights on some of the problems of organizing for social and political changes and the pressing concerns of senior citizens. (Author/AM)

Predicts declining confidence in Social Security, questioning of public's responsibility for elderly, organization proliferation, anticipated labor shortages, and trend to reengage in mainstream society. Sees result as greater emphasis on elderly's productive potential and a "common human need" policy in aging field. (Author/CM)

In a review of studies using the Facts on Aging Quiz (FAQ), group reliability was high, but item reliability was low. Less educated groups were more biased against the elderly. In some ways the revised FAQ supports the Palmore scale, while compensating for its weaknesses. (JAC)

A study of college students showed that persons scoring higher in aggression demonstrated more negative attitudes toward the aged. Females, older students, and graduate students were more positive. Students majoring in business subjects tended to be more negative, while social work students had the most positive attitudes toward older people.…

Concludes that what the older woman needs is what all humans need, but that what she gets, unfortunately, are very limited options. (Author/AM)

Surveyed renter households in Cleveland. Found not only outright prohibitions against families with children but also restrictions based on age, sex, number, and location of children in a building. As the number of children and teenagers has risen in nonrestricted rental buildings, the insecurity of older occupants has increased. (Author)

Although the use of date of birth is a method of classifying people has certain legal advantages because it provides a convenient dividing line, it results in misclassification of people into inappropriate categories. (Author/AM)

Notes that attempts to apply research findings based on undifferentiated comparisons between black and white elderly toward the solution of problems faced by black elderly are doomed to ineffectiveness. (Author/AM)

The language of geriatrics and gerontology reflects the generally held belief that potential for growth and development disappears when the elderly are severely disabled. To counter this mystique, the right to flourish must be advocated through policy, behavior, and attitude change. (SK)

In the last two decades, problems associated with aging have caused increased public concern. As a result of recent research in the Federal Republic of Germany, the science of gerontology has revealed new information about the living conditions and living standards of the elderly. The image of older people is still a negative one and passing…